Turbofan engines have been developed to care for the environment. Care for the environment is in this case intended to mean limiting noise and reducing consumption. With a view to optimizing thrust and performance while reducing noise, jet engines use multiple annular air flows, for example two or three.
Generally, a turbomachine splits an incoming air flow into a primary flow and a secondary flow in the form of annular sleeves. The primary flow passes through the compressors, a combustion chamber and is then expanded in turbines. The secondary flow passes around the outside of the compressor, the combustion chamber and the turbine, and then re-joins the primary flow at the exit from the jet engine. The flows are split by a circular splitter lip placed upstream of the compressor. The shape of this lip limits the amount of air entering the compressor.
A splitter lip needs to be robust as it is exposed to ingestion of foreign bodies during operation. It must therefore also make it possible to support various elements such as an upstream stator of a compressor, and/or an acoustic panel. It can also house a de-icing system, the ducts and/or passages of which it has to hold and protect.
EP1801389 A1 discloses a splitter lip for a low-pressure compressor of an axial turbomachine. The lip comprises an annular metal body forming a mechanical link between an inner shroud and an acoustic panel. The splitter lip comprises an axial flange that fits tightly against the inside of the acoustic panel for attachment by means of screws. However, this attachment method is weak due to the addition of screws, which gives rise to stress concentrations.